Being Better For Ourselves and the Next Generation: Inside Episode 2 of the Quality Coffee Podcast
By Tonia and Vanessa, co-hosts of the Quality Coffee Podcast
If you're looking for a podcast for midlife women that talks about breaking cycles without sugar-coating it, Episode 2 is where we really rolled up our sleeves.
Episode 1 was about where we came from. Episode 2 asked the next question, the one so many elder millennial womenare wrestling with right now:
Now that we can see the patterns we were raised in, what are we going to do about them?
On the Quality Coffee Podcast, our answer is simple to say and hard to live: we're going to be better. For ourselves first. And for the next generation, who are watching every single thing we do.
Episode 2 at a Glance
- Episode: Ep.2 Being Better For Ourselves and the Next Generation
- Hosts: Tonia and Vanessa
- Released: August 8, 2025
- Length: About 76 minutes
- Big themes: breaking generational cycles, doing the work on ourselves first, raising kids differently, core values in midlife
- Perfect for: forty-something women, cycle-breakers, moms, aunties, and anyone entering midlife who wants to stop repeating what didn't work
The Conversation: What Episode 2 Is Really About
Being Better Starts With Ourselves
Notice the order in the title. Ourselves comes first, and that's on purpose.
You can't hand down something you don't have. You can't teach a child calm if you've never found your own. You can't model boundaries you've never held, or self-respect you've never practiced. So much of being better for our kids is really about finally doing the work on us: the healing, the unlearning, the honest look in the mirror.
That's not selfish. That's the foundation. Every midlife woman who has ever put herself last on the to-do list needs to hear it: taking care of you is taking care of them.
Seeing the Patterns We Were Raised In
A lot of us grew up in homes where the rules were because I said so, the hard stuff wasn't talked about, and feelings were something you handled quietly, alone. Most of our parents did the best they could with what they had. That can be true. And we can decide some of it stops with us.
That's the heart of cycle-breaking. Not blame. Clarity. You look at what you were given, keep what was good, and put down what wasn't yours to carry.
Raising the Next Generation With Intention
Here's the part that makes this personal for us. The next generation is in our homes, at our tables and in our cars every day. They're learning how to handle a hard day, how to apologize, how to talk to their own bodies, and how to treat other people, mostly by watching us.
That's a lot of pressure. It's also a huge opportunity. Every time we choose explanation over because I said so, repair over silence, and honesty over secrecy, we're writing a different story for the kids coming up behind us.
Core Values Are the Roadmap
Being better doesn't mean being perfect. It means knowing what you stand for and coming back to it, again and again.
That's why midlife women and core values go hand in hand. Your forties are when you finally get clear on what matters, and subsequently when you stop handing out your energy to things that don't. Once you get clear on your core values, the parenting decisions, family boundaries and the no, we don't do that anymore moments get a whole lot easier to make.
Why This Conversation Matters for Elder Millennial Women
Because we're the bridge generation. Elder millennial women grew up with one set of rules and are raising kids with another. We're translating in real time because talking about it out loud makes it lighter.
Because healing isn't a solo project. Being better for the next generation is so much easier when you've got other women in your corner who are doing the same work and will tell you the truth.
Because "good enough" isn't the standard anymore. We started this podcast because we want quality in every part of our lives. That includes the way we love, the way we parent and the way we treat ourselves. Good enough is sub par and old news.
Because it's never too late. Maybe you're a mom of littles. Maybe your kids are grown. Maybe you're the auntie, the godmother, the coach, the neighbour. The next generation is watching all of us, and every one of us has a responsibility to model how to be a good person.
How You'll Relate to Episode 2
Episode 2 is for you if:
- You've caught yourself saying something your parents said, and felt your whole body go nope.
- You're the cycle-breaker in your family, and it can feel lonely.
- You want your kids to have it easier emotionally than you did, without raising them to think life is easy.
- You're tired of being last on your own list and you're ready start taking care of yourself in all of the ways that count.
- You're looking for podcasts about core values and podcasts for personal growth that feel like a conversation with friends, not a parenting lecture.
Questions to Sit With After You Listen
Pour another cup and talk these through, on your own or with your people:
- What's one pattern from your childhood you've decided ends with you?
- What's one thing your parents did well that you want to keep?
- Where are you still putting yourself last, and what would it look like to move up the list?
- What do you most want the kids in your life to learn from watching you?
Keep the Conversation Going
Episode 2 opened a thread we've pulled on again and again on the show. If it hits home, these episodes go deeper:
- Ep.37 Putting An End To Dehumanizing Conversations, on teaching kids what's not okay to say, or to accept
- Ep.47 Reframing The Foundation Of Family, on being the black sheep and choosing your own path
- Ep.51 Hot & Unbothered, on the difference between protecting kids and sheltering them
- Ep.54 Endurance = Love?, on unlearning the values we inherited
- Ep.56 Sex Ed, on why information is power, and how that creates safety
And if you haven't heard where it all started, go back to Episode 1: Your Kryptonite Is Your Superpower.
Listen, Follow and Join the Community
🎧 Listen to Episode 2: Being Better For Ourselves and the Next Generation on Spotify
📱 Come hang out on Instagram: For clips from current episodes, behind-the-scenes moments and real conversations with the community, follow @qualitycoffeepodcast.
☕ Hit that follow button: Head over to Spotify and be sure to hit FOLLOW so you get a notification for every future episode. New episodes of the Quality Coffee Podcast drop every Friday, and we don't want you to miss a single conversation.
— Tonia & Vanessa
Grab your coffee and let's chat!
Your Kryptonite Is Your Superpower: Inside Episode 1 of the Quality Coffee Podcast
By Tonia and Vanessa, co-hosts of the Quality Coffee Podcast
Every midlife women podcast has a first episode. Ours started with a pretty simple truth that took us about forty years to say out loud:
When we boil it down, all we really want as women is to be seen and heard for who we are.
That's where the Quality Coffee Podcast began. Two elder millennial women, best friends and sisters-in-law, sitting down with a cup of coffee (quality, obviously) and pressing record on the kind of honest conversation forty-something women have been having in kitchens and car rides for years, just never into a microphone.
If you're entering midlife, tired of "good enough," and craving podcasts for personal growth that feel more like a chat with your girlfriends than a lecture, this is where to start.
Episode 1 at a Glance
- Episode: Ep.1 Your Kryptonite Is Your Superpower
- Hosts: Tonia and Vanessa
- Released: August 1, 2025
- Length: About 57 minutes
- Big themes: being seen and heard, open communication, childhood hardships, facing fear, gratitude for the path that made you
- Perfect for: forty-something women, elder millennials, and anyone who has decided "good enough" isn't good enough anymore
The Breakdown: What We Talked About in Episode 1
1. Wanting to Be Seen and Heard
We opened with the underlying thing we'd go on to talk about over almost every single future episode of QCP, too. Women want to be seen. Not managed, not fixed. Seen and heard, exactly as we are.
It sounds simple. It isn't. A lot of us spent our twenties and thirties shrinking to fit into rooms, roles and relationships. Midlife is when that stops feeling acceptable. Episode 1 is where we planted the flag: on this podcast, we're going to say the real stuff, and we hope it helps you say yours.
2. Our Shared Gift: Open Communication
If there's one thing the two of us have in common, it's that we talk. Openly, honestly, and we are not afraid to lay it all on the table with each other. It took serious work but we cared enough about each other and the desire to really build what we knew an unconditional relationship looked like. That has allowed us to see just how open communication became one of our greatest strengths, in our friendship, our marriages, our parenting and the way we now move through the world.
And here's the twist that gives the episode its name: that gift didn't come from an easy road.
3. How Our Kryptonite Became Our Superpower
This is the heart of Episode 1.
As young girls, we each faced struggles that felt like weaknesses at the time. The things that made life harder. The ways we had to cope that no kid should really have to figure out alone. That was our kryptonite.
But somewhere along the way, those same things transformed into coping skills. The things we learned because life was hard became valuable tools that now help us navigate our lives and relationships as grown women. Kryptonite, meet superpower.
We unravel some of our earliest childhood woes in this episode, not to dwell on them, but to finally appreciate what they gave us. It's a reframe a lot of elder millennial women are making right now: I'm not broken because of what I went through. I'm skilled because of it.
4. Facing Our Fears (Hello, World, We're Podcasters?!)
Let's be real. Starting a podcast in your forties is terrifying. Putting your voice, your stories and your childhood out into the world for anyone to hear? Our nervous systems had opinions.
But that was kind of the point. Episode 1 is us walking straight through a fear in real time, and talking about how facing hard things, again and again, leads to realizations about who we are and how we function in the world. If we can do it, with shaky hands and a mug of coffee, so can you. Whatever your version of "hit record" is.
5. Being Thankful for the Past That Built Your Future
You know the saying: be grateful for your past, because you wouldn't be who you are today without it. We wrestle with that idea in Episode 1. Not in a toxic-positivity, "everything happens for a reason" way. In an honest way. Tonia's favourite quote from Lily Tomlin is "forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past".
Some of what we went through was genuinely hard. It's allowed to have been hard. And it shaped us into women who can hold space, communicate clearly and build the quality lives we want now. Both things are true. That's midlife clarity.
Why This Conversation Matters for Forty-Something Women
Episode 1 isn't just our origin story. It's the foundation for everything we talk about on the Quality Coffee Podcast, from perimenopause and autoimmune disease to marriage, parenting, trauma and women's friendships. Here's why it matters:
A lot of us were taught to stay quiet. So many forty-something women grew up hearing that the hard stuff stays private. Talking about it, out loud, on purpose, is how we break that cycle for ourselves and for the kids watching us.
Because reframing your story changes how you live it. When you stop seeing your past only as damage and start seeing the skills it gave you, you show up differently. More confident. More compassionate with yourself. Less willing to settle.
Because midlife isn't the end of the story. It's the part where you finally get to read your own chapters back with grown-up eyes. Entering midlife with that kind of clarity is a gift, and it's one you deserve.
Because "good enough" isn't the standard anymore. We said it then and we'll keep saying it: this podcast is dedicated to the 40-something elder millennial women, and everyone who has reached the point in life where they're no longer okay with "good enough." We want quality. Quality coffee, quality conversation, quality connection.
How You'll Relate to Episode 1
You might not share our exact stories. You'll probably still see yourself in them.
Episode 1 is for you if:
- You've been called "too much." Too emotional, too chatty, too sensitive, too intense. (Spoiler: that might be your superpower.)
- You grew up fast. You learned to read a room, keep the peace or take care of yourself before you were old enough to name what you were doing.
- You're the friend everyone talks to. People open up to you, and you've never quite known why.
- You're done shrinking. You've hit your forties and you want to be seen and heard as you, not as the version of you that made everyone else comfortable.
- You're looking for your people. You want podcasts about rediscovering yourself that feel like a seat at a kitchen table full of women who get it.
Questions to Sit With After You Listen
Grab a journal, or better yet, a girlfriend, and talk these through:
- What was your "kryptonite" as a kid or young woman?
- What skill did you build because of it?
- Where in your life do you feel truly seen and heard right now? Where don't you?
- What fear are you ready to walk through this year?
Then come tell us. We mean it. Share it in your IG stories and tag @QualityCoffeePodcast us or send us an email chat@qualitycoffeepodcast.com
Where It Goes From Here
Episode 1 was the first sip. Since then we've talked about love languages, emotional maturity, body image, making friends in your forties, self-compassion, unlearning guilt and so many other taboo topics forty-something women have been afraid to say out loud. Every one of those conversations traces back to this one: two women deciding to be seen and heard, and hoping you'd feel a little more seen and heard too.
If you've been with us since the beginning, thank you. If you're just finding us, welcome. You're right on time.
Listen, Follow and Join the Community
🎧 Start at the beginning: Listen to Episode 1: Your Kryptonite Is Your Superpower on Spotify
📱 Come hang out on Instagram: For clips from current episodes, behind-the-scenes moments and real conversations with the community, follow @qualitycoffeepodcast.
☕ Hit that follow button: Head over to Spotify and be sure to hit FOLLOW so you get a notification for every future episode. New episodes of the Quality Coffee Podcast drop every Friday, and we don't want you to miss a single conversation.
— Tonia & Vanessa
Grab your coffee and let's chat.
Midlife Women Need Each Other: Why Talking Out Loud Is the Quality Upgrade You've Been Missing
By Tonia and Vanessa, co-hosts of the Quality Coffee Podcast
Pour yourself something good. Not the lukewarm "good enough" coffee you reheated three times while answering emails, packing lunches and finding someone's other shoe. The quality stuff. Sit down with it.
Because we need to talk about something, and we're going to be honest with you right out of the gate:
You were never meant to do midlife quietly.
Somewhere along the way, most of us were taught that the hard stuff stays behind closed doors. Our bodies, our hormones, our marriages, our childhoods, our money, our mental health, the weird new hair on our chin. Private. Not polite. Not for the dinner table. And so a whole generation of elder millennial women walked into their forties carrying a backpack full of questions they were never allowed to ask out loud.
Well. We're asking them now. And we want you asking them too.
Where It All Started: Episode 1 of the Quality Coffee Podcast
Every conversation has a first sentence, and ours was a little bit of a confession.
When we sat down to record Episode 1: Your Kryptonite Is Your Superpower, we didn't have a polished format or a perfect mic setup. What we had was two forty-something women, best friends and sisters-in-law, who had finally gotten honest with each other about where we came from, and a hunch that other women needed to hear it.
Episode 1 Summary
In our very first episode, we set the stage for everything the Quality Coffee Podcast would become. We talk openly about the struggles we each faced as young kids and the ways we learned to cope with them, and then we flip the script. Those coping skills we built out of necessity, the ones that once felt like our weak spots, turned out to be the very skills that set us up for success as adults.
That's the heart of it: your kryptonite is your superpower. The thing you've been hiding, managing or quietly apologizing for might be the exact thing that makes you strong, capable and deeply you.
It was the first time we said a lot of things out loud on a microphone. It was uncomfortable. It was also the moment we realized this podcast wasn't just about us.
Why Communication Matters So Much When You're Entering Midlife
Here's what nobody told us about entering midlife: it doesn't arrive with a manual. It arrives with a lot of noise.
There's the noise of marketing telling midlife women we're declining and need fixing. There's the noise of the "over the hill" jokes. There's the noise of our own inner critic, who has had forty-odd years to practise her material. And there's the noise of silence, which might be the loudest of all, because when no one around you is talking about what you're going through, it's very easy to assume you're the only one.
You're not. And the fastest way to find that out is to start talking.
Silence Was Handed Down to Us. We Don't Have to Keep It.
So many of us were raised on "because I said so," "that's for me to know," and "just go play." We weren't given the full story about our bodies, our families or our feelings, and too much was left for us to figure out alone. We've talked about this a lot on the show, from Ep.51 Hot & Unbothered to Ep.56 Sex Ed, and every single time, the message comes back the same: Information is power. Information is safety. And information gets passed along through conversation.
When forty-something women talk honestly with each other, we break the cycle. We stop inheriting the silence and start handing down something better, to each other, to our daughters, to our nieces and to the little girls we used to be.
Women Process Out Loud, and That's a Feature, Not a Flaw
How many times have you been teased for "talking too much" or "going on about it"? Let's settle this right now.
Women often work out our thoughts by talking them through. We circle back. We say it once, then again a slightly different way, and somewhere in the third pass we hit the aha. That's not rambling. That's processing. We dug deep into this in Ep.35 How Women Process, and it's one of the biggest reasons talking with other women in midlife is so powerful. Your girlfriends don't need you to get to the point. They'll walk the long way there with you.
One Person Can't Meet All of Your Needs (and That Includes Your Partner)
This one changed our marriages, no exaggeration.
For years, a lot of us poured every thought, every vent and every unmet need into one person and then wondered why there was tension. In Ep.26 Recognizing One Person Can Not Meet All Of Your Needs, we talk about how leaning on a solid circle of women friends freed up space for our relationships to breathe and grow.
Your partner is not a failure for not being your entire support system. You're not too much for needing more than one. You just need a village.
Midlife Women and Perimenopause: The Conversation We Have to Have
Let's be firm about this one, because it matters.
Perimenopause is not a disease. It's a transition. Your body is not failing you. It is doing exactly what it was designed to do, and it deserves to be understood, not shamed.
But here's the catch: you can't understand what nobody's willing to name. When midlife women and perimenopauseonly get talked about in hushed tones or punchlines, women end up confused, dismissed and convinced something is wrong with them.
Something is not wrong with you. You're in a new chapter, and you deserve to walk into it informed.
That's why we keep bringing perimenopause, autoimmune disease, body image, food intolerances and all the other "unmentionables" onto the table. (If you're looking for podcasts about perimenopause that feel more like a chat with your best friends than a lecture, we've got you. Start with Ep.42 Body Image In Our Forties and Ep.34 Making Space For Seasons In Relationships.)
Every time one woman says "me too," another woman stops feeling crazy. That's not a small thing. That's everything.
Taboo Topics Lose Their Power the Moment You Say Them Out Loud
Here's a little secret about taboo topics: they're only taboo until someone goes first.
Guilt. Privilege. Grief. Family estrangement. Trauma. Sex. Money. Regret. The shame you carry about your mid-section. The resentment you feel toward the version of "family" you were handed. These topics feel enormous and scary when they live only in your head at 2 a.m.
Say them out loud to a woman who gets it, and something shifts. They shrink. They become workable.
That's what the Quality Coffee Podcast is built on. We are conversation starters. For us, recording each episode is honestly a form of therapy, and for our listeners, it's an invitation to weigh in, nod along, laugh, cry and maybe finally bring that thing up with your own sister, best friend or coworker.
You don't have to start with the heaviest thing. Start with something small. But start.
Making Friends in Your Forties Is Hard (Do It Anyway)
We're not going to pretend this part is easy. Making friends as a grown woman with a job, kids, a partner, aging parents and a body that wants to be in bed by 9:30 is genuinely hard. The icebreaker is fine. It's the small talk after the icebreaker that makes us want to fake a phone call.
We got real about all of it in Ep.41 Making Friends In Our Forties.
Here's our firm-but-loving take: the awkwardness is worth it. The women you'll find on the other side of a few uncomfortable conversations are the ones who will see you through the rest of this mountain, the climb and the descent. As we said in Ep.44 Self Compassion, your core women friends are the ones who love you enough to push you away to go take care of yourself. That kind of friendship doesn't just happen. You build it, one honest conversation at a time.
A Few Ways to Start the Conversation This Week
- Go first. Share something real, even small. Vulnerability is contagious, in the best way.
- Ask a better question. Swap "How are you?" for "What's been taking up most of your heart lately?"
- Make it a ritual. A standing coffee date, a Sunday walk, a voice note thread. Consistency builds trust.
- Listen without fixing. Sometimes she doesn't need advice. She needs a witness.
- Bring the podcast. Send a friend an episode and say, "This made me think of us. Can we talk about it?" (Shameless? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely.)
This isn't A Midlife Crisis. It's Midlife Clarity.
Midlife was handed to us wrapped in warning labels. We were told to expect a crisis, a meltdown, a slow fade into irrelevance.
Turns out, that's not what's happening at all.
What's actually happening, for so many midlife women, is clarity. A light flips on. We start to see what we've been tolerating, what we've outgrown and what we refuse to carry into the second half of our lives. We get clear on our core values. We stop saying "good enough." We start asking for quality: quality coffee, quality conversation, quality connection, quality sleep, quality healthcare, quality time.
We broke this down in Ep.39 Midlife Crisis To Midlife Clarity, and if there's one thing we want you to walk away with, it's this:
This isn't a crisis. This is clarity. And if you forget, we'll be right here to remind you.
But clarity grows faster in community. It's a lot easier to trust what you're seeing when another woman looks you in the eye and says, "Yes. I see it too."
Why We Made a Podcast for Midlife Women (and Why You Belong Here)
We started the Quality Coffee Podcast because we asked ourselves a simple question: What do women in their forties actually want?
The answer surprised us. We didn't want more. We wanted better. We wanted quality in every corner of our lives, and we realized the only way to get there was to tackle the difficult conversations: unravelling limiting beliefs, building healthy boundaries and continuing to heal from our pasts.
So that's what we do, every single week, over a cup of coffee.
If you've been searching for a midlife women podcast, a podcast for elder millennials, podcasts for forty-something women, or honestly just podcasts for personal growth that don't make you feel like a project to be fixed, pull up a chair. Whether you're 25 and peeking ahead, 38 and feeling the first rumbles, or 45 and right in the thick of it, you're welcome at this table.
We're Tonia and Vanessa. We are forty something midlife women. Quality is the priority. And we'd love for you to join the conversation.
Stay Connected With the Quality Coffee Community
🎧 Start at the Beginning
Go back to where it all started with Episode 1: Your Kryptonite Is Your Superpower, then binge your way forward. (We've grown a lot since then, and we love that you get to watch it happen.)
📱 Find Us on Instagram
For clips from our current episodes, behind-the-scenes moments and real conversations with the community, follow us on Instagram at @qualitycoffeepodcast. Slide into our DMs, comment on a clip, tell us which topic you want us to tackle next. This community is built by you.
☕ Follow Us on Spotify. Seriously, Hit That Button.
Here's your homework, and we're not letting you skip it: head over to Spotify and be sure to hit that FOLLOW button so you get a notification every time a new episode drops. New episodes of the Quality Coffee Podcast are released every Friday, and you deserve to be part of every conversation.
You don't have to figure out midlife on your own. You never did.
— Tonia & Vanessa
Grab your coffee and let's chat.
From Tempranillo October to Garnacha November in High Five Wine Academy
Two glasses of Spanish red sit on your kitchen counter. One smells of cherry, cedar and a little vanilla. The other bursts with ripe strawberry, raspberry jam and a pinch of white pepper. Same country. Often the same vineyard rows. Completely different personalities.
That is the story of Spanish Tempranillo vs. Garnacha, and it is exactly what we are exploring in High Five Wine Academy. All October, our online wine club has been scoring Spanish Tempranillo. In November, we stay in Spain and turn the spotlight on her fun-loving sister, Garnacha, and we will score every bottle using the High Five Wine Scoring System.
Here's the hook: if you have ever stood in the wine aisle holding two Spanish bottles and thought, "I have no idea which one I'll actually like," this is your month. November is the perfect time to join High Five Wine Academy with a monthly membership, because we are starting a brand-new grape from week one. No need to catch up, we meet you where you’re at. No wine snobbery. Just your mid-week self care break, a great bottle and a community of women learning what theylove about the wines they enjoy.
I'm Tonia, your wine coach, and in this guide I'll walk you through how these two Spanish reds compare, how to find them on a shelf, and how to start scoring them like a pro.
Meet the Sisters: Spain's Two Great Red Grapes
Tempranillo: The Polished Older Sister
Tempranillo gets its name from temprano, the Spanish word for "early," because it ripens weeks ahead of other Spanish reds. It is a thick-skinned grape, so it gives deep colour, firm tannins and a structure that loves oak and time in the cellar. Think of her as the sister who shows up in a tailored blazer: elegant, savoury and a little serious.
If you missed our October deep dive, read Spanish Tempranillo: The Complete Guide to Spain's Noble Red Grape for everything on Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva and how these aging requirements impact the wines in your glass.
Garnacha: The Fun-Loving Younger Sister
Garnacha is a thin-skinned grape that ripens late and loves heat, wind and dry, rocky soils. That gives a lighter colour, softer tannins, juicy red fruit and often a little more alcohol. She is the sister who arrives with a big laugh, a bouquet of flowers and dessert.
You already know her better than you think. In France she goes by Grenache, the "G" in the famous GSM blends and the star of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In Sardinia, Italy she is Cannonau. And she is a key blending partner in many Rioja bottles you scored this October.
One grape is not better than the other. The real question, and the whole point of High Five Wine Scoring System, is to discover which one your palate prefers and why.
Spanish Tempranillo vs. Garnacha at a Glance
Here is the quick cheat sheet. Screenshot it for your next trip to the wine store.
Tempranillo | Garnacha | |
|---|---|---|
Colour | Deep ruby to garnet | Lighter ruby, sometimes translucent |
Body | Medium to full | Medium, can be full in warm regions |
Tannin | Medium to high, firm | Low to medium, soft and silky |
Acidity | Medium | Medium to low |
Alcohol | Moderate | Often higher (14%+) |
Fruit | Cherry, plum, dried fig | Strawberry, raspberry, red cherry jam |
Spice and earth | Cedar, tobacco, leather, dill, vanilla | White pepper, cinnamon, licorice, dried herbs |
Oak | Loves it, often aged for years | Often little or no oak, fruit-first |
Signature regions | Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Toro | Campo de Borja, Calatayud, Cariñena, Priorat, Navarra |
Personality | Polished and savoury | Juicy, warm and playful |
Coaching tip: if you love smooth, fruity reds like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais, you may find Garnacha an easy favourite. If you lean toward Cabernet Sauvignon or bold, structured reds, Tempranillo might be your girl. Then again, your palate may surprise you. That's what scoring is for. The book is the tool and the club is the practice.
Tasting Notes: What You'll Find in Your Glass
Spanish Tempranillo Tasting Notes
Cherry, plum, raspberry, cedar, dill, vanilla, coconut, tobacco, leather, dried fig and clay. Young Joven bottles are lean, fresh and fruity. Reserva and Gran Reserva bottles lend themselves to more savoury notes with layers and complexity from oak and bottle aging.
Spanish Garnacha Tasting Notes
Strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, candied fruit, white pepper, cinnamon, licorice, orange peel and dried Mediterranean herbs like thyme and rosemary. Old-vine Garnacha adds depth, with darker fruit and a velvety texture.
Where Spanish Garnacha Grows
Garnacha thrives in the warm, dry northeast of Spain. Knowing these region names is your secret weapon, because many Spanish labels show the place, not the grape.
- Campo de Borja: Nicknamed the "Empire of Garnacha," known for juicy, great-value bottles from old vines.
- Calatayud: High-altitude vineyards give fresher, brighter Garnacha with lovely acidity.
- Cariñena: One of Spain's oldest wine regions, with ripe, generous Garnacha at friendly prices.
- Priorat: Steep slate slopes produce powerful, mineral Garnacha blends. A splurge bottle.
- Navarra: Famous for gorgeous Garnacha rosado, plus easy-drinking reds.
- Sierra de Gredos: Near Madrid, this region makes lighter, more delicate Garnacha that wine lovers adore.
Tempranillo, by contrast, sits mostly in the cooler, higher regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero, with bold versions from Toro.
How to Find Spanish Garnacha on the Shelf
Here's how High Five Wine Academy is different from every other wine club in Canada: I don't ship you wine. I choose the grape and the place, and you choose the label and your price point. Why? Because the goal is confidence. When you can walk into any store and pick a bottle you'll love, you never need a wine club to choose for you again.
So here's your November shopping homework:
- Look for the word Garnacha (or Garnatxa in Catalonia) on the front or back label.
- Look for the region names above, especially Campo de Borja, Calatayud and Cariñena for great value.
- Check the back label for "red wine" if you spot Navarra, since the region makes lots of rosado too.
- Watch for "old vines" or "viñas viejas" for a richer, deeper style.
- Grab two or three different regions so you can compare them side by side. In November we are scoring one every Wednesday!
Scoring Garnacha with the High Five Wine Scoring System
This is where the magic happens. Instead of sipping and saying "mmm, nice," members use the High Five Wine Scoring System to score every bottle and record it in their wine journal. Week by week, the scores reveal a pattern: what you love, what you don't, and how to drink more of what makes you happy.
It is wine for beginners and wine lovers alike. No sommelier vocabulary required, just your own palate and an honest score.
Want to start scoring at home? My High Five Wine book and wine journal walks you through the full High Five Wine Scoring System, step by step, so you can learn about wine on your own terms. It's the perfect companion for Wine Wednesday.
Wine and Food Pairing: Tempranillo vs. Garnacha
Both grapes are food-friendly, but they shine with different dishes.
Pair Tempranillo with roast lamb, grilled steak, chorizo, mushroom dishes, Manchego and slow-braised short ribs. Its firm tannins and savoury notes love rich, meaty meals.
Pair Garnacha with roast chicken, pork tenderloin, grilled sausages, pizza, tomato-based stews, barbecue and spiced dishes like Moroccan tagine. Its soft tannins and juicy fruit also make it one of the best reds for the holiday table, from turkey to cranberry sauce.
Inside the club, you won't have to guess. Every week, members get a carefully curated wine and food pairing recipe card to match the wine we're scoring. That means one dinner a week is already planned for you, and your mid-week self care break becomes an impromptu date night.
Don't have a spouse? Date yourself!
November Is Garnacha Month in High Five Wine Academy
October was Tempranillo. November is Garnacha.
And honestly? There has never been a better time to join.
We start fresh in week one, so you'll be scoring right alongside everyone else from the very first bottle. By the end of the month, you'll know if you're Team Garnacha and you'll have the scores in your wine journal to prove it.
What Your Monthly Membership Includes
- A carefully curated wine and food pairing recipe card every week
- Member-only Wine Wednesday sessions with me, your wine coach, live on Zoom from the comfort of your own home
- Label-reading coaching so you can shop any wine aisle with confidence
- A community of women who show up every week, laugh a lot and become your wine besties
This is more than an online wine club. It's your mid-week self care break, your Wednesday night IN and the most fun way to learn about wine in Canada.
Ready to find out which Spanish sister you love? 👉 Join High Five Wine Academy with a monthly membershipbefore our first Garnacha Wine Wednesday in November.
Not ready to join yet? Start with my High Five Wine book and wine journal and begin scoring at home.
Cheers and high fives,
October In High Five Wine Academy:
Spain's Signature Red Takes the Spotlight
Imagine pulling the cork on a bottle that has waited five quiet years in a cellar in Rioja. The first aroma smells of ripe cherry. The second brings vanilla, dill and cedar from the influence of oak. Then, slowly, come leather, tobacco and dried fig: the gifts of time in the bottle. That journey from fruit to oak to age is the story of Spanish Tempranillo, and it is the grape we are exploring all October at High Five Wine Academy.
Want to taste it, not just read about it? Join the High Five Wine Club and get started picking out your October Tempranillo. Wine Coach, Tonia - that's me - it's my job to choose the grape (Tempranillo) and the place (Spain!) and your job to go out and choose the label and your price point. It's no use sending you wine to your door when it might not be the bottle you'd ever choose off the shelf. That's really important and what sets High Five Wine Academy apart from any other wine club. Plus tasting notes, food pairing recipes each week and member-only wine education sessions every Wine Wednesday on zoom.
Ok, back to it.
Ok, back to it.
Tempranillo is Spain's most planted red grape and the backbone of its most famous wines, from Rioja and Ribera del Duero to Toro and La Mancha. It is a grape that rewards curiosity. A young (Joven), unoaked Tempranillo is juicy and bright; a long-aged Gran Reserva is silky, savoury and complex. Learning to taste the difference is one of the most satisfying skills in wine tasting.
In this guide, you will learn where Tempranillo comes from, how to identify its primary, secondary and tertiary aromas, and what the Spanish aging classifications of Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva really mean in your glass. Whether you are new to wine or studying for your next certification, this is your complete Spanish Tempranillo tasting guide.
Meet Tempranillo: The "Little Early One"
The name Tempranillo comes from the Spanish word temprano, meaning "early." The grape ripens several weeks before Garnacha and other Spanish reds, which made it a natural fit for the cooler, higher-altitude vineyards of northern Spain. It is a thick-skinned black grape that gives wines with deep ruby colour, medium acidity, medium to high tannins and medium to full body.
On its own, Tempranillo has a relatively neutral, fruit-forward personality. That is exactly why it is so beloved by winemakers: it takes beautifully to oak aging and long cellaring. It is often blended with Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo (Carignan) or, in some regions, Cabernet Sauvignon, though many of Spain's top wines are 100% Tempranillo.
Tempranillo's Many Names
Tempranillo travels under a surprising number of local names, which is useful to know when reading Spanish wine labels:
- Tinto Fino or Tinta del País in Ribera del Duero
- Tinta de Toro in Toro
- Cencibel in La Mancha and Valdepeñas
- Ull de Llebre in Catalonia
- Tinta Roriz or Aragonez across the border in Portugal
Key Spanish Tempranillo Regions
- Rioja: The classic home of Tempranillo. Expect elegant red fruit, bright acidity and a long tradition of American oak aging that gives sweet vanilla and coconut notes.
- Ribera del Duero: High-altitude vineyards on the Duero River plateau produce darker, more powerful, more structured Tempranillo with black fruit and firm tannins.
- Toro: Hot days and old vines make Tinta de Toro bold, ripe and high in alcohol, with dense blackberry and plum.
- La Mancha and Valdepeñas: Warm central Spain makes approachable, great-value Cencibel, often in the Joven style.
The climate of each region shapes the fruit, and the winemaker's choices shape everything else. That brings us to the heart of wine tasting: the three layers of aroma.
Primary Aromas: The Taste of the Grape
Primary aromas come from the grape itself and the vineyard where it grew. They are the fruity, floral and herbal notes you smell first, and they are most vivid in young, unoaked Joven Tempranillo. As a wine ages, these fresh notes soften and evolve into dried and cooked fruit.
In cooler sites like Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, Spanish Tempranillo leans toward red fruit and fresh herbs. In warmer regions like Toro, it shifts toward ripe black fruit and jammy plum.
Primary Tasting Notes for Spanish Tempranillo
Red fruit
- Red cherry
- Sour cherry
- Strawberry
- Raspberry
- Red plum
- Redcurrant
- Cranberry
Black fruit
- Black cherry
- Blackberry
- Black plum
- Blackcurrant
- Mulberry
Floral
- Violet
- Red rose
Herbal and earthy
- Dried herbs (thyme, rosemary)
- Tomato leaf
- Bay leaf
- Black pepper
- Red clay and dusty earth
- Licorice
Tasting tip: Swirl your glass and smell before you sip. Can you pick out a red fruit and a black fruit? Most Spanish Tempranillo shows both, and the balance between them tells you a lot about the climate and ripeness of the vintage.
Secondary Aromas: The Fingerprint of the Winemaker
Secondary aromas come from winemaking: fermentation, malolactic conversion and, above all, oak aging. For Spanish Tempranillo, oak is the star. The choice between American oak and French oak, new or used barrels, and how long the wine spends in them shapes its flavour profile more than any other decision in the winery. These are tid bits we talk about often in High Five Wine Academy so you become familiar with the terms over time without the feeling of being in a lecture about wine. One more unique benefit of being of our
American oak is the traditional choice in Rioja. It gives sweet, bold flavours like vanilla, coconut and dill. French oak, increasingly popular in modern Rioja and Ribera del Duero, is subtler, with notes of toast, clove, cedar and baking spice. Many winemakers now use both.
Secondary Tasting Notes for Spanish Tempranillo
From American oak
- Vanilla
- Coconut
- Dill
- Sweet spice
- Caramel and butterscotch
From French oak
- Toast
- Clove
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cedar
- Smoke
From toasted barrels
- Coffee and mocha
- Dark chocolate and cocoa
- Toffee
From fermentation and malolactic conversion
- Cream and butter (from malolactic conversion)
- Yogurt
- Bubblegum and banana (in carbonic maceration Joven wines)
The oak notes are strongest in younger oak-aged wines like Crianza and younger versions of Reserva, where the wood has not yet fully integrated with the fruit. Over time in bottle, these flavours mellow and weave together with the primary fruit.
Tertiary Aromas: The Rewards of Bottle Aging
Tertiary aromas develop slowly as a wine ages, through gentle oxidation in barrel and chemical changes in the bottle over the months and years. Fresh fruit turns to dried fruit, tannins soften into silk, and a savoury, earthy complexity appears. This is where Spanish Tempranillo truly shines, and it is why Reserva and Gran Reserva wines are so treasured by collectors.
You can also see age in the glass. Young Tempranillo is deep purple-ruby; mature Gran Reserva fades to garnet and brick, with a paler, tawny rim.
Tertiary Tasting Notes for Spanish Tempranillo
Dried and cooked fruit
- Dried cherry
- Prune
- Dried fig
- Raisin
- Fruitcake
Savoury and animal
- Leather
- Meat and cured ham
- Game
- Soy
Earth and forest
- Forest floor
- Mushroom
- Truffle
- Wet leaves
Spice and wood
- Tobacco and cigar box
- Cedar
- Sweet spice
Nutty and sweet
- Walnut and almond
- Toffee
- Brown sugar
When these tertiary notes balance with lingering fruit and integrated oak, you have a wine of real harmony. A great Gran Reserva tastes like all three layers speaking at once.
Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva: Spain's Aging Classifications
Spain is one of the few wine countries that labels its red wines by how long they have aged before release. These terms tell you how much time a Tempranillo spent in oak barrels and in bottle, and so which aromas will dominate your glass. Spanish law sets national minimums, and regions like Rioja and Ribera del Duero set stricter rules of their own.
Category | Minimum total aging | Minimum in oak | Style in the glass |
|---|---|---|---|
Joven | None | None (or brief) | Fresh, fruity, primary aromas |
Crianza | 2 years | 1 year (Rioja, Ribera del Duero) | Fruit plus vanilla and spice |
Reserva | 3 years | 1 year | Balanced fruit, oak and early savoury notes |
Gran Reserva | 5 years | 2 years (Rioja, Ribera del Duero) | Silky, complex, tertiary aromas |
Joven: Young and Vibrant
Joven means "young." These wines see little or no oak and are released within a year or so of harvest. In Rioja you may see them labelled Genérico or simply without an aging term. Joven Tempranillo is all about primary aromas: juicy red cherry, strawberry, raspberry, violet and a hint of herbs. Some are made by carbonic maceration, adding soft, playful notes of bubblegum and banana.
Drink it: Lightly chilled, within one to two years, with tapas, pizza, burgers or charcuterie.
Crianza: The Sweet Spot of Fruit and Oak
Crianza means "upbringing" or "nurturing." Under Spanish law a red Crianza must age at least two years before release, with at least six months in oak. Rioja and Ribera del Duero require a full year in barrel. Crianza Tempranillo keeps plenty of red and black fruit but adds secondary aromas of vanilla, coconut, cinnamon and toast. It is often the best-value bottle on the shelf and a perfect everyday Spanish red.
Drink it: Now or within about five years, with roast chicken, lamb chops, chorizo or Manchego cheese.
Reserva: Elegance and Balance
A Reserva must age at least three years, with at least one year in oak. Producers usually make Reserva only in better vintages, from their best grapes. Here the three layers start to meet: ripe and slightly dried fruit, well-integrated oak spice and early tertiary hints of leather, tobacco and earth. Reserva Tempranillo is smooth, structured and very food-friendly.
Drink it: From release to ten years or more, with roast lamb, beef tenderloin, mushroom risotto or aged cheeses.
Gran Reserva: The Pinnacle of Patience
Gran Reserva is reserved for exceptional vintages. These wines must age at least five years before release, with a minimum of 18 months in oak under national law and two years in Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The rest is spent in bottle in the winery's cellar. The result is a silky, layered wine dominated by tertiary aromas: dried cherry, fig, leather, cigar box, forest floor and mushroom, with soft tannins and a long finish. Traditional Rioja Gran Reservas are among the most age-worthy wines in the world, often thriving for 20 years or more.
Drink it: Decant gently to separate any sediment, and serve with slow-roasted lamb, game, truffle dishes or simply on its own.
How to Taste Spanish Tempranillo Like a Pro
The best way to understand Tempranillo is a vertical-style flight: one Joven, one Crianza, one Reserva and one Gran Reserva, ideally from the same region or producer. Taste them from youngest to oldest and notice how the wine changes.
- Look: Watch the colour move from purple-ruby to garnet and brick.
- Smell: Find the primary fruit first, then the oak, then the savoury tertiary notes.
- Taste: Notice how tannins soften from grippy to velvety with age.
- Finish: Older wines usually linger longer and show more layers.
Serving tips: Serve Joven at about 14°C (57°F) and Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva at 16 to 18°C (61 to 64°F). Use a large red wine glass, and give older wines time to breathe.
Perfect Food Pairings for Tempranillo
Tempranillo is one of the most versatile food wines in the world. Classic pairings include roast lamb, jamón ibérico, chorizo, grilled steak, paella with meat, roasted mushrooms, Manchego and other aged sheep's milk cheeses, and smoky barbecue. Its savoury side also loves autumn dishes like braised short ribs and mushroom stew, which makes it a perfect October wine.
Join Us for Tempranillo Month
Spanish Tempranillo is a grape with a story in every bottle: bright fruit from the vineyard, warm spice from the barrel and quiet complexity from years in the cellar. Reading about primary, secondary and tertiary aromas is a great start, but nothing beats tasting them side by side.
All October, High Five Wine Academy members are exploring Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva Tempranillo from Rioja, Ribera del Duero and beyond, with perfectly paired recipes each week.
Ready to taste the difference?
Join the High Five Wine Club today and start your Spanish wine journey this month.
